- As of December 2024, three African countries can visit the Russian Federation through a single electronic visa.
- Nationals from Kenya, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe join hundreds of millions of citizens from other 55 countries across the world for e-visa eligibility.
The Russian Government has expanded its electronic visa program to allow citizens from three African nations to enter the Russian Federation, simplifying the process by enabling online applications and eradicating the need for in-person visits to embassies as previously occasioned by the old method.
The decision is seen as a move by the Russian government to expand economic and diplomatic cooperation with the third-world countries, a significant step towards eliminating geographical barriers to engage the African people.
“The Government of Russia has expanded the list of countries whose citizens can visit the Russian Federation with a single electronic visa. The list now includes Kenya, Eswatini and Zimbabwe,” the Russian Embassy based in Nairobi announced through the X handled (formerly Twitter)
Electronic visa application is becoming the new normal across different countries in the world, thereby eliminating time wasted and resources, including the high cost someone would need to part with, including a must-visit to the consulate.
As compared to the paper visa, for instance, Kenyans applying through the Russian electronic visa system would need limited movement and time spent. The policy of the Russian e-visa system requires foreigners to submit their applications not less than four days prior to the official arrival to the Russian Federation.
The only disadvantage is the limited payment options available. Payments for e-visas are only made with a bank card through a dedicated web portal. Applicants will be required to pay the consular fee, bank commission, and transaction costs of the payment system, which haven’t been disclosed, as well as the preliminary verification fee for documents, which is estimated at USD$52.
Additionally, e-visas for children under the age of 6 years are issued for free, except for the transaction cost of the payment system, which is about USD$2.
However, the electronic visa comes with limited advantages, as most countries would as well establish laws outlining the parameters or the extent to which an individual is allowed to stay and the purposes behind that.
As for the Russian e-visa, its validity is only limited to a single entry and departing from the Russian Federation for the purposes involving the following activities: private indulgence, business or tourist purpose, participation in scientific, cultural, socio-political, economic, sporting events, and to establish relevant relations and contacts, according to the embassy website.
Additionally, the Russian electronic visa has a validity period of 60 days only, from the day of its issuance, with an authorized stay period not exceeding 16 days from the day of the entry into the Russian Federation territory.
